Natural Organic Dog Food vs.
Most Commercial Dog Food

Saying "natural organic dog food" is like saying "mediocre exceptional dog food. " "Natural" and "Organic" are two separate classes. They are both better than the typical commercial pet food but they require distinction from each other.

Companies who use the "natural" term have more flexibility than going "organic." In other words, organic foods are always natural, but natural foods may not necessarily be organic.

We'll get
into the differences a little way down the page, but in the mean time
we can refer to the two collectively as "natural organic dog food."

Let's get the bad news out of the
way first: Unlike agencies such as the FDA for people food, there are no
regulatory agencies currently in place that enforce the natural organic
designation in pet food.

One popular organic brand, for
example, labels all of their food "organic" but admits on their FAQ web
page that as much as 30% of all ingredients used in the formulation of
their brand of foods is not organic.

Fortunately there is some good news to soften the blow...

There are a few organizations that set natural organic dog
food
standards (more on this below), and a couple even allow manufactures to have their processes
certified. These organizations require ongoing review for the stamps of
approval to stick.

The Feds realize
that the industry has a problem, and the USDA is currently reviewing proposed organic standards for pet
food. In the mean time you can read
the below chart to understand the benefits of going "natural" or
"organic." After all, there are several brands – both new and
established – that maintain integrity by sticking to USDA standards.

Agencies
& Organizations Setting Natural Organic Dog
Food
Standards

AAFCO – Association of American Feed Control Officials

AAFCO
provides guidelines for states to
develop their own policies
for
regulating animal feeds. They also research and update their
recommendations as new findings come to light. Even though AAFCO has no
power to enforce dog food manufacturers who claim to adopt their guidelines, pet food companies who make this claim are likely to have
their heads in the right place.

Oregon Tilth Certification Program

Oregon Tilth Certified Organic (OTCO) has an organic dog food analysis that ensures that growers, handlers and processors of organic food are living up to their set standards from start to finish. Their rigorous requirements include production standards, on-site inspections and legally binding contracts.

Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM)

The only group that has any actual authority over pet products is the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM). Their primary purpose is to evaluate "the safety and effectiveness of drugs used to treat more than 100 million companion animals." According to CVM, nearly 300 drugs currently on the market have been approved by the FDA for America 's dogs, cats and horses. Unfortunately, their power does not extend too deeply into dog food.

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Although
the USDA does not regulate the pet food industry (yet), it does
regulate food intended for human consumption that you can mix with
your natural organic dog
food of choice. If a people food product is labeled "natural", the USDA
requires the label to explain exactly what that means. They also have
requirements for using "organic" labeling.

Commercial,
Natural and Organic Dog Food Analysis - Basic
Differences

In
the chart below, "Yes" and "No" refer to the base standards of the USDA for people food.

"Maybe", "High" and "Low" refer to what you can typically expect when
purchasing people food labeled "Organic," "Natural" or those foods with
no Organic or Natural distinction (i.e. "Commercial"). Implications of each
of the topics can be found below the chart.

You can also use
this table when reading
pet food labels, but keep in mind that these
terms are not yet enforced for pets so take them with a grain of salt.
You should always read the
label and make the appropriate judgment for
your dog.

Known
Effects of Ignoring Natural Organic Dog Food

The
potential negative impacts of the harmful elements above extend beyond
their direct effects listed below. They use up your dog's energy to
eliminate toxins when that energy should be used for more constructive
purposes.

High-heat
and extrusion food processing

Even
if you find a commercial pet food manufacturer who uses good
ingredients, the high heat used to sterilize the food usually destroys
much of the nutritional value. For this reason it is usually a good
idea to add raw
natural dog food or partially cooked dog food to your dog's
diet.

Antibiotics,
Herbicides and Pesticides

These have been found to lead to chronic disease. In addition, if your dog's body cannot rid itself of these toxins, they will build up inside the dog. Built up chemicals can interact with each other in several harmful ways.

Human-Grade
Meat

Human-grade
meat must be tested and certified by organizations like the FDA, USDA and Oregon
Tilth . For this reason, they should be considered safe for
your dog and added to their diets to supplement the unregulated pet
foods.

Animal
by-products

Are
you ready to get hungry? Animal by-products commonly found in
commercial dog food can include feathers, hair, leather, gristle and
fecal waste. Mmmmmm…fecal waste.

Meat and bone meal (usually made of
ground bone, gristle and tendons) is the cheapest and least nutritious
of all the by-product meals. In addition to being unhealthy in many
other ways such as leading to canine
tumors, about 25% of the protein in meat
meal cannot be used by dogs' bodies.

Artificial
Colors

Don't
let the appearance of a dog food fool you! Dogs are color blind, so pet food
manufacturers only change the color and texture of dog food to make it
look better to YOU, not your dog.

Natural organic dog food looks grey
and bland because it does not have potentially harmful artificial
colors. All your dog cares about is the way the food smells and tastes
(pet food manufacturers also put unhealthy stuff in pet food to trick
the dogs too, by the way).

The effects of artificial
coloring have not been fully tested, but they are believed to increase
sensitivity to viruses and could potentially cause cancer.

Head explosion (just kidding - if
you've made it this far down the list I think you get the point)

"Filler" Foods

Carbohydrates
can have a lot of great nutrients if they are high quality.

"Filler"
carbs, on the other hand, such as sugar and corn syrup lead to dog obesity.
They fill your dog up with unhealthy food that takes the place of
nutrient-rich wholesome food. In contrast, good natural organic dog
food uses vitamin and nutrient-rich sources of carbohydrates.

Genetically
Modified Organism (GMO)

GMO
refers to plants and animals that have been genetically modified (GM).
Negatives of products with genetic modification include:

Environmental damage – long term
effects on the environment are unknown.

Risk to food web – could genetically
altered crops hurt other animals that feed on them?

Cross-pollination – we don't know the effect on the
offspring of GM
crops that cross-pollinate with non-GM crops.
Could the prevalence of stronger crops create stronger pests that we
may not be able to control?

Allergies and
toxins – very little research has been conducted on the effect of GM
food on long-term human health.

Disease –
some crops are modified using DNA from viruses and bacteria. Could this
lead to new kinds of disease?

Natural organic dog food is never derived from genetically modified
plants and animals.

Vitamin
& Mineral Content

The
plants used to make natural and organic dog food are given more
time to grow and are planted in soil that has not
been depleted of nutrients through overuse. Plants used to make most
commercial dog food are often given growth stimulators that speed up
harvest time which means plant has less time to absorb nutrients.

In
addition, new plants with the same growth stimulators are immediate
planted after each harvest, so the soil is deprived of nutrients. No
nutrients in the soil = no nutrients in the plants = no nutrients in
the dog food.

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Disclaimers: The information contained in this web site is provided for general informational purposes only. It is not intended as nor should be relied upon as medical advice. Rather, it is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a pet owner/site visitor and his/her local veterinarian(s). Before you use any of the information provided in the site, you should seek the advice of a qualified professional.

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Disclaimers: The information contained in this web site is provided for general informational purposes only. It is not intended as nor should be relied upon as medical advice. Rather, it is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a pet owner/site visitor and his/her local veterinarian(s). Before you use any of the information provided in the site, you should seek the advice of a qualified professional.

In the spirit of full
disclosure, we wanted to let you know that we proudly support this
website through advertising and affiliate marketing. In other words,
when you click on a link that takes you outside of this website, we
often earn a small commission. These small commissions allow us to keep
the site up and running and to continue offering it completely free of
charge to you. Rest assured that all content, recommendations and
advice are created before, and are independent of, any sponsorship or
affiliate relationship. Click
here for more info.